“I’m an angler education area chief for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. On weekends, I teach kids how to fish.

“We had this land out on the river, and I turned it into a little private park. Church groups bring kids who don’t have a father figure. We put them through a little school on how to tie knots, how to cast, fish identification and things like that. We give them a fishing rod, some bait, and tell them to go catch fish.

“I had a father who never did anything with me. He never once took me fishing, hunting or anything. He’d go off with his friends and their kids, fishing and hunting, but he never took me.

“My mother was both a mother and a father to me. She was great. But I told myself, I’m not going to raise my kids the way my father raised me. And I didn’t. I have two sons and two daughters, and they all know how to hunt and fish. I have a family ranch up in the Hill Country that I bought in 1987. We all use that to go hunting and fishing. They know it’s there for them whenever they want.”

— Chuck Ganze

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“I did 29 years of shift work at ExxonMobil. I worked outside as an operator. I worked in the heat, in the rain, in the cold. I wore flame-retardant clothing, a hard hat, safety glasses, safety shoes.

“When I hired in, all the old-timers told me I should buy Exxon stock. They said buy as much as you can and don’t ever touch it. Just do this for your whole career and you’ll be a very wealthy person when you retire. And they told the truth. I put the maximum amount in for 29 years, so I’m reaping the rewards now.

“I do lots of hunting and fishing, and I travel a lot. As a matter of fact, I’m going to Lake Tahoe in the morning. After that I’m heading out on a cruise around Australia, and then I fly to New Zealand where I’m doing an archery hunt for a red stag.

“I told my financial guy, I want to be the poster child for retirement. My resume for retirement is what I wish everybody could do, and afford to do.”

— Robyne Gold

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“My plan is to become a fishing and hunting guide. You’ve got to love what you do, and I’ve always loved to hunt and fish. I just enjoy being outside. I can’t be inside. I worked at Academy for a short period of time in the hunting and fishing sales section. That just wasn’t my thing.

“I want to be my own boss, too. I see people who are self-made and it really appeals to me.

“I want to make something out of myself and my business. One day, hopefully, when I have kids and they’re grown up, they can take it over from me.”

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“I enjoy duck hunting with my boy. He’s 6 years old, and this was his first year to get out there with a shotgun.

“It’s young, I guess. But the way I grew up, we always had guns around and we hunted. He’s brought up the same way. I was 8 when I started duck hunting with my dad.

“My boy knows what to do. He’s accurate with his shot. He’s shot two birds already.

“He enjoys it. Early in the morning, him and me in a boat with the sunrise in the background, it’s just beautiful out there.”

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